BIGOTED TOWARDS DRUG ADDICTS

To the editor: While I am pleased for Nancy Radcliffe the penny has finally
dropped, if only part way (Legalize Drugs, All of Them, April 26), I am
disappointed the residue of three generations of state-sponsored anti-drug
propaganda still lingers in her psyche.

Was there ever a more shameless admission of bigotry and hatred published in
recent times by a major Canadian newspaper than Ms. Radcliffe's statement,
"I don't have an ounce of compassion for drug addicts. I'm just tired of
watching innocent people pay for their problem. Let's stop trying to save
addicts from themselves and start thinking about how we can save ourselves
from them."

Even a cursory examination of our current drugs fiasco will tell you it is
the prohibition of certain drugs that causes the crime, not the drugs
themselves.

When was the last time you heard of a robbery being perpetrated "to finance
an alcohol habit"?

Alan Randell Victoria, B.C.
Via the Internet